'George Mitchel' scholarships in doubt after funding withdrawals

The future of the prestigious George Mitchell scholarships, which allows top US students to study in Ireland for a year, is under threat due to the withdrawal of funding by Irish and American governments, businesses, and philanthropists.

The US-Ireland Alliance — a non-partisan, non-profit organisation which administers the scholarship programme — has expressed concern that the future of the programme is dependent on finding new sources of revenue.

In its latest annual report, the alliance’s president and founder, Trina Vargo, said support for the programme in Ireland and the US was often “superficial and hype”.